- Though it is often misquoted, no one ever says, "Play it Again Sam" in the film. The closest to this line is when Humphrey Bogart says to Sam, "You played it for her you can play it for me...If she can stand it, I can. Play it!" and when Ingrid Bergman says “Play it sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’"
- Bogart's signature line, "Here's looking at you, kid!" was originally in the script as "Here's good luck to you, kid," until he changed it. His new line never appears in the script.
- Casablanca is based on a then-unproduced play called Everybody Comes to Rick’s. The movie was renamed Casablanca because of the popularity of the Charles Boyer film Algiers.
- In the scene where Humphrey Bogart waits for Ingrid Bergman in a Paris train station, it’s raining and Bogart’s hat and trench coat are soaked. He receives a letter saying Ingrid isn’t coming and gets on the train. We see Bogart standing in the train’s doorway with a dry coat and hat.
- Michele Morgan was considered for the female lead. RKO asked for $55,000 to use the actress, but producer Hal B. Wallis refused to pay it when he could get Ingrid Bergman for $25,000.
- The music was written by Max Steiner, who was best known for the score for Gone with the Wind. The song "As Time Goes By" by Herman Hupfeld had been part of the story from the original play. Steiner wanted to write his own composition to replace it, but Bergman had already cut her hair short for her next role (María in For Whom the Bell Tolls) and could not re-shoot the scenes which incorporated the song.
- Studio publicity in 1941 claimed that Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan were scheduled to appear in Casablanca, and Dennis Morgan is mentioned as the third lead. However, this was never the case and the false story was planted, either by a studio publicist or a press agent for the three other actors, to keep their names in the press. Meanwhile George Raft was angling for the part with Jack L. Warner, but Hal Wallis had been assigned to search for what would be Humphrey Bogart's next starring role. He wrote to Jack Warner that he had found the next movie for Bogart and that the role was perfect for him. Nobody else was ever considered for the part.
- Producer Hal B. Wallis nearly made the character Sam (the piano player) a female. Hazel Scott, Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald were considered for the role.
- Out of 8 nominations, Casablanca won 3 academy awards, for best director, best screenplay and best picture. Humphrey Bogart was nominated for best actor but lost to Paul Lukas in Watch on the Rhine. Claude Rains was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier. Casablanca was also nominated for Best Dramatic Score and Best Cinematography, both of which it lost to The Song of Bernadette, and Best Film Editing, losing to Air Force.
- Rick's Café Américain was modeled after Hotel El Minzah in Tangier, Morocco.
- Casablanca was named the #2 movie of all time by the American Film Institute in 1998 behind Citizen Kane. It later dropped to #3 behind Citizen Kane and The Godfather in the 2007 update to the list.
- Six quotes from the movie appear on AFI’s “100 Years…100 Movie Quotes” list:
- "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." (#20)
- “Play it, Sam. Play ‘As Time Goes By.’” (#28)
- “Round up the usual suspects.” (#32)
- “We’ll Always Have Paris.” (#43)
- "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." (#67)
No comments:
Post a Comment